Operator's Manual

Maintenance
33
POTENTIAL HAZARD
• A blade that is bent or damaged could
break apart and pieces could be thrown at
bystanders or at you as you use the mower.
WHAT CAN HAPPEN
• Pieces of blade that may be thrown could
seriously injure or kill you or bystanders.
HOW TO AV
OID THE HAZARD
• Always r eplace bent or damaged blade with
a new blade.
• Never file or create sharp notches in the
edges or surfaces of blade.
Removing the Blades
Blades must be replaced if a solid object is hit, if the
blade is out of balance or is bent. To ensure optimum
performance and continued safety conformance of the
machine, use genuine T
ORO replacement blades.
Replacement blades made by other manufacturers
may result in non-conformance with safety standards.
POTENTIAL HAZARD
• Blade is sharp.
WHAT CAN HAPPEN
• Contact with sharp blade can cause serious
personal injury.
HOW TO AV
OID THE HAZARD
• Wear gloves or wrap sharp edges of the
blade with a rag.
1. Hold the blade end using a rag or thickly-padded
glove. Remove the blade bolt, spring disk and
blade from the spindle shaft (Fig. 20).
Sharpening the Blades
POTENTIAL HAZARD
• When sharpening blade, pieces of blade
could be accidentally thrown.
WHAT CAN HAPPEN
• Thrown objects can cause serious eye
injury.
HOW TO AV
OID THE HAZARD
• Wear proper eye protection when
sharpening blade.
1. Use a file to sharpen the cutting edge at both
ends of the blade (Fig. 18). Maintain the original
angle. The blade retains its balance if the same
amount of material is removed from both cutting
edges.
1
m–1854
Figure 18
1. Sharpen at original angle
2. Check the balance of the blade by putting it on a
blade balancer (Fig. 19). If the blade stays in a
horizontal position, the blade is balanced and can
be used. If the blade is not balanced, file some
metal off the end of the sail area only (Fig. 20).
Repeat this procedure until the blade is balanced.
1
2
m–1855
Figure 19
1. Blade 2. Balancer